PITTSFIELD -- A Dalton man is being held on $500,000 bail after allegedly robbing a couple at knifepoint on Wednesday outside a city supermarket.

Shane Hamilton, 24, was arrested shortly after the incident just after noon in the Price Chopper parking lot on Hubbard Avenue thanks to the actions of one of the victims, both of whom were 73, police said.

"The husband had the [presence of] mind to watch the suspect get into a vehicle and was able to get his plate number," according to Pittsfield Police Lt. Jeffrey Bradford. "This ultimately allowed us to make the arrest."

Hamilton, wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt to obscure his identity, waited for the couple to put their groceries in their vehicle and then jumped into the car with them.

He put a knife to the woman's neck and demanded money, Bradford said, and made off with about $100.

After the couple reported the crime and the information about the suspect's vehicle, police determined Hamilton was the suspect and that he was staying in Dalton.

Dalton police were able to locate the vehicle, which was parked at a house on Renee Avenue where Hamilton was staying. Pittsfield officers responded to the scene and took him into custody on an outstanding warrant, according to Bradford.

A little more than 30 minutes after the alleged robbery, Hamilton was in custody.

The victims were brought to the scene and positively identified Hamilton as the man who robbed them, Bradford said.

Bail was set by an assistant clerk-magistrate at $500,000. Hamilton will be arraigned Thursday in Central Berkshire District Court on charges of felony armed robbery while masked, which carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in state prison and a maximum life sentence, and breaking and entering into a vehicle in the daytime for a felony.

Bradford said the investigation was continuing and they were currently working on obtaining a search warrant for the house in Dalton to look for any evidence from the crime.

He praised the cooperation between the Dalton and Pittsfield police departments and the teamwork between the patrol and detectives units of the PPD.

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